


A candle in a thunderstorm

by Tedious_snow



Series: Bedtime stories [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Era, Canon Universe, Fluff, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Hates the Cold, M/M, Missing Scene, No Angst, One Shot, POV Erwin Smith, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23754520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tedious_snow/pseuds/Tedious_snow
Summary: A thunderstorm has hit, and a surprised Erwin lets a frightened Levi spend the night in his office. They also look for candles.Set post-ACWNR.---“Hop onto my back.”“...What?”
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Series: Bedtime stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711192
Comments: 4
Kudos: 122





	A candle in a thunderstorm

Erwin knew there'd be a storm today. He knew it as soon as he'd stepped out and felt the air warmer than he'd thought it should be, he knew it as he sensed the light tug of a growing wind and he certainty knew it as he saw the loud huddle of clouds on the horizon. He'd called training off early then, but only by an hour or two since the sun was already sinking at the time. No sooner had the recruits clumped in the mess that the rain had begun. It had yet to end.  
He could hear the relentless pattering behind him still, assaulting the stonework of the building's walls and the glass of the large window. It was late into the night and yet it attacked in the same consistent fervour of the evening hours. He let out another sigh. The candles were burning dim on his desk by now and did little to help him discern the illegible strings of sentences running on the papers. His eyesight served no better; it merged the scribbles.  
He tugged open a drawer and frowned at the emptiness yawning back at him. Out of candles. _Great_. He stole another look at the two still burning; their flames nearly licking at the melted wax laying at the bottom of their holders. Another sigh. _A little rain never hurt anyone._  
He'd begun screwing the lid of the inkwell on when the whole office flashed a cold white. He froze. A distant rumble followed. He set the inkwell down and tidied the piles of papers, smoothing the edges to align and patting down their surfaces. The chair scraped against the wooden floor and he rose to stand.  
A light knock sounded.  
He paused to listen for more. Another knock. Confusion. “Come in!” He called softly. The heavy door opened a sliver, with a hesitant air, and then opened some more. Like a cat, the figure slinked forward silently and pressed against the wall, door gently shutting. “Levi?” Erwin sat down again and folded his arms. Levi stood still and didn't respond. “Why are you here?” Silence. Concern budded. “Levi, you're supposed to be in the barracks, sleeping.”  
“Could say the same to you.” The voice sounded tired, like it's owner hadn't slept for a long time. Erwin shifted and looked at the candles again. They were about to die.  
"I don't sleep in the barracks, Levi, I sleep in my quarters." He knew it was a fruitless exchange. "You of all people should know that. Now, do you happen to have any candles?"  
"Why the hell would I carry around candles? If you're thinking I'm going to bur-"  
“No, no... That's not the point. I'm out of candles,” He waved to the stumps and moved to stand again. “I just... I don't want to go outside where I can help avoiding it.”  
As if on cue, the room lit up in another blast of white. The deep rumble was louder now, and went on for longer. Erwin thought he saw Levi cringe and cover his ears. He let himself smile.  
“Scared of a thunderstorm, Levi?” He chuckled and drew his chair under the desk.  
“I'm not scared, shit stain,” Levi huffed and moved away from the door.  
“Humanity's strongest, scared of a little rain,” He hummed teasingly and grabbed his expedition cloak from a hanger. “The people would be surprised, Levi,”  
“The people wouldn't know that lie.”  
“Of course.” Erwin rounded his desk and headed in a bee line for the door, peacefully ignoring the glare shooting from the bookshelves.  
“Where are you going?”  
“Going to get new candles.” Erwin opened the door before pausing. “Care to join me?”  
“Listen, I know I said I'd follow you and all but I'm not going to drown myself out there,” Levi walked over to the couch and collapsed on it. “Drown by yourself,” Erwin smiled.  
“Suit yourself,” He stepped into the corridor, door swinging shut behind him. The hallway was narrower and colder than his office, yet still built of the same stone and wood. The torches lining its walls were worn dull. He shivered; wrapped the cloak around himself, breast button clicking as he secured it.  
It only took a few steps before he heard another thunderclap. This one was far louder than the last, resonating deep in the building's core and vibrating the air for a long stretch of time.  
Some way off behind him the door swung open. A scuttling of footsteps hurried to catch up. Erwin chuckled.  
“So soon?”  
“Shut up.”  
The walk was silent, for the most part. Erwin lead the way and Levi padded silently behind him. No one else wandered the halls at this time of night. That was lucky; Erwin didn't want to tell new recruits off right now. He already had a new recruit with the gall of a hundred.  
They descended the spiralling staircase quickly, and crossed the ground floor to stand beside the door leading to the depot and training grounds. Erwin checked over his shoulder if Levi was still there. He was. In the better light Erwin saw how tired the man looked.  
“We're going outside now, alright?” Levi only hummed acknowledgement. Erwin made to open the door, paused, and turned around again. “Hang on, where's your cloak?”  
“My what?”  
“Your cloak. The green thing I'm wearing right now.” Erwin gestured to himself.“You can't go outside wearing a shirt and uniform pants, you don't even have your jacket for Sina's sake!” Levi looked down on himself and then back at Erwin.  
“Calm down, I won't die.”  
“But you can catch a cold and we need you in working condition,” He sighed. “Here, have mine. Just... don't tear it, okay?” Erwin unwrapped his cloak and lay it over Levi. The size difference of the garment was prominent. It reached below Levi's knees. Erwin finally returned to the door and tugged it open.  
Immediately, a gust of strong wind blew in and chilled the building, bringing with it rain. The outside was dark and Erwin could barely see a few metres ahead, nevermind the depot building.  
“Come on, quickly!” He barked at Levi, stepping into the frigid hell. Mud splattered across his boots and he cringed, but continued walking.  
“Erwin!” He turned around. Levi was still in the building.  
“Yes?” Levi seemed to hesitate for a moment.  
“I spent all night cleaning my boots...” He trailed off, staring holes into the mud and looking strongly annoyed. A new recruit with the gall of hundred. Only Levi could ask such a thing. Erwin tread back and lifted Levi, who kind of went limp in his hold. He hoisted him onto his back, closing the door with a foot. He was surprisingly heavy. At least his back will be dry.  
He trotted across the muddy field and followed the faint trail leading to the storehouse.  
By the time he got there, he was sure his whole boots were plastered with a layer of the muck. The sky flashed again and the ever prominent thunderclap followed it. He felt Levi tense on his back and wrap his arms around his neck a little tighter.  
“It's fine, we're here.” Erwin breathed, just over the sound of the storm. They ducked inside and he set Levi down. The door closed behind them.  
“Seems someone was here earlier,” Erwin mused, breaking the awkward silence. “Lights haven't gone out yet.” Levi nodded stiffly, drawing the cloak's hood down to reveal his face.  
“Your boots are ruined,” He murmured.  
“I'll clean them when we get back.” Erwin promised and stomped some mud off in the entry way. “Now, get as many candles as you carry. Stuff some in your hood as well.” He watched as Levi scurried off into the maze of shelves, slowly following him after a moment.  
When he came to the candle box, Levi already stood there clutching several of the wax stumps to his chest.  
“Hand me some, you can't carry that many if you're wrapped around my back.” Levi averted his gaze and passed a handful into Erwin's hands. He took them and pressed them against his chest as well, securing one or two in a pocket before turning around and crouching down.  
“Hop onto my back.”  
“...What?”  
“Hop onto my back.” He twisted his head to look at Levi. “My hands are full, come on. Or do you want to walk across the mud now?” Levi stood still for a bit, bewildered, before jerking his hood up and complying. He climbed on, putting some candles in the space between his chest and Erwin's back before wrapping his arms around his neck again. He dug his heel into Erwin's thigh for good measure.  
“I'm not a horse, Levi.” His words were somewhat stern yet Levi felt the strong body seize up in a silent chuckle. When they were in the rain again, Levi didn't brace up as much when the thunder struck.  
Erwin hurried back to HQ, thankfully being able to see a little more than a few metres ahead, with the rain easing just that much and the clouds parting softly to let a few streaks of moonlight light his path. When he got to the door, he got Levi to stretch a hand to open it for him.  
“No way you're going all across HQ with those boots.” Levi muttered after they got in, after climbing down and inspecting the offending shoes with a grimace. “This place is already dirty enough without your help.”  
“I thought you were cleaning it in your spare time?” Erwin removed the shoes nevertheless, moving them to sit against the wall.  
“What's one man's efforts against an entire army?” He unwrapped Erwin's drenched cloak from himself and bundled the candles into it.  
“Get someone to help you.”  
“I'm a new recruit, Erwin. What soldier, what squad leader would listen to a new recruit?” They began walking and climbing the staircase.  
“You're right.” A smile tugged at Erwin's lips. “Yet the way you act tells me otherwise. Imagine, _Captain Levi_ and his _cleaning_ squad.” He received a punch to the arm then; he thought it was worth it.  
When they got back to his office the candles were long dead. They lit a few new ones on a corridor torch and placed them around the office in walls slots and on Erwin's desk. Erwin looked out the window and saw the moon a little lower from it's old position at the peak of the sky. Only a few hours until daybreak. He turned around to face Levi, placing the last candles into the formally empty drawer.  
“Thank you, Levi.”  
“I should be the one thanking you, you idiot. You carried me across a field for fuck's sake.”  
“I know, I know... but... thank you.” Levi stood still before nodding tightly. He rounded the desk and plopped back onto the couch, curling into himself and looking more tired than Erwin had ever known him to look. And small.  
He hesitated for a few moments before he walked to join him. He sat on the other side, anxious to spook the sleeping form. He forgot the worry when Levi let himself slump over and lay his head in Erwin's lap.  
“Captain's not an official rank.” He barely heard the muffled comment.  
“No, no it isn't.”  
“Can I be a Captain?” Levi rolled over a bit and stared at Erwin with eyes lidded by fatigue. “Can I get myself a squad? ...Can I get them to clean?” Erwin smiled gently, feeling himself drift to sleep.  
“We'll hold the ceremony tomorrow.”  
“Erwin?”  
“Hmm?”  
“Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Any comments, and all the like, are welcome! A new story will be published in around a week


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